Kauai Helicopter Tour

We are leaving in a month to do a cruise and will be on Kauai for a day and a half. We want to do a helicopter tour, but have read different reviews. Which helicopter tour is the best since this will probably be our only trip to Hawaii!

Also, are there any other ';must do'; things while on Kauai?

29 Days and Counting!!

Sandy

Kauai Helicopter Tour

Blue Hawaiian is almost always a good choice, even though they are pricey. I personally thought Safari was alright, but their video%26#39;s aren%26#39;t worth the extra money.

If you can find a company that flies doors off here, take them; I know they exist though I haven%26#39;t flow with them yet. I did a doors off tour on the BI this summer and it was incredible.

I stand by Kauai being the best island to view from the air. With over 95% inaccessible by car, it%26#39;s a great way to see the hidden side of our Garden Isle.

Kauai Helicopter Tour

I%26#39;ve always had good experiences with Jack Harter, and I always recommend them. They do have a doors-off flight. Book online for the best price. I%26#39;d suggest doing this on your half day.

Drive up Waimea Canyon Drive. Stop at every overlook; you get a really differnt perspective than from the helicopter. Be sure to look all the way across the canyon for the teeny-tiny helicopters to give some perspective on how large the canyon is. Start early in the morning and go all the way up past Koke%26#39;e Lodge to the Kalalau lookout. Lunch at the Shrimp Shack at the lower end of the road is good. $11, but a huge plate of shrimp.

For the afternoon, drive all the way up north. Stop at Kilauea Light Marine Preserve. Drive on up to Hanalei and look around. If you have time, drive all the way out to Ke%26#39;e at the end of the road. It%26#39;s a beautiful beach that epitomizes Hawai%26#39;i to me. There an easy hike up the adjacent hill that gives you a neat view of Ke%26#39;e and the reef. It starts at the back of the beach right at the tree line.

Unless you%26#39;re dead set on dinner back on the ship, try Hukilau Lanai in Kapa%26#39;a for dinner. You might think it%26#39;s pricey, but it%26#39;s one of the best restaurants on the island.

I%26#39;d recommend getting copies of Kaua%26#39;i Revealed (ignore anything that tells you trespassing is OK) and Kaua%26#39;i Mile by Mile. They%26#39;ll help you plan your must-dos.

Inter-Island helicopters have a doors-off flight and they fly the smaller helicopters, so there are two people up front with the piplot and two in the back and everyone gets a great view. The other companies fly the larger copters with three or four seats in the back and someone will get stuck in the middle. We flew with Inter Island a couple of weeks ago and it was great. We took the standard tour, (55 min.) but they also offer a longer tour that actually lands at a waterfall, where you can get out and swim, nobody else offers that. The only thing is they take off from Pt. Allen, not near the airport in Lihue, so you will need to rent a car. But I recommend getting a car, getting an early start, taking an early morning flight and then driving up the canyon road which is only about 15 min. from Pt. Allen.